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Abuja residents are lamenting that PVC pre-registration on the INEC portal has stopped working for weeks, leaving many unable to secure appointment slots to complete their voter registration. The complaints centre on the online stage of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Prospective voters say they have repeatedly logged on only to find no available slots, raising fears that eligible citizens could be shut out ahead of future elections.
How PVC pre-registration is meant to work
The pre-registration process is designed to let prospective voters begin the CVR remotely before visiting an INEC office for biometric capture. The idea is to ease crowding by allowing people to book an appointment online, then turn up to have their fingerprints and photographs taken and collect a permanent voter card (PVC).
In practice, residents of the Federal Capital Territory say the booking system has failed to deliver slots. According to those affected, only a couple of area council offices have shown any availability, forcing people far from those locations to keep refreshing the portal in vain.
What Abuja residents are saying
Frustrated applicants have taken to social media to share their experiences. One resident said there had been no available slots for weeks and questioned how people were expected to register. Another wondered aloud whether the situation amounted to an attempt to disenfranchise residents, a charge that touches a nerve in a country where voter access is fiercely debated.
Beyond the online problems, prospective voters who manage to reach INEC offices in person have complained of long queues, overcrowding and delays. The combination of a glitchy portal and packed offices has left many feeling stuck between two broken doors.
Why voter registration matters now
Registration drives are a crucial foundation for credible elections. The more eligible citizens who obtain their PVCs, the broader the mandate of whoever eventually wins office. With major elections on the horizon, civil society groups have been urging Nigerians, especially young people and new residents, to register and collect their cards.
When the process is difficult, that message risks falling flat. Every blocked slot or abandoned queue can translate into a citizen who gives up on registering altogether, weakening participation in the democratic process.
Calls for INEC to act
Residents and observers want INEC to fix the portal, open more slots and add capacity at offices across the FCT. They argue that the demand on display is a good sign of civic interest that should be met with smooth systems rather than frustration.
The commission has previously said it is working to clean up and expand the voter register, with the physical phase of the exercise running on a set timeline. Applicants are hoping that pledge translates into a portal that actually books appointments.
Some applicants have suggested practical fixes, such as releasing slots in batches, sending alerts when new appointments open and deploying extra staff to the busiest councils. They argue that small adjustments could ease the bottleneck without overhauling the entire system.
For now, many Abuja residents say they will keep trying, determined to secure the cards that give them a voice at the ballot box. They are asking only that the system meet them halfway.
